Central Michigan University men’s basketball opens the season at home Friday at 2:30 p.m. as it hosts Manchester University. Here is a player-by-player breakdown of the 2013-14 CMU basketball roster:

#2 DeAndray Buckley, 6-4, 209 pounds, Sr. G/F

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Buckley missed the entirety of the 2012-13 campaign with a knee injury after transferring from Indian Hills Community College. He is looked at as a strong and aggressive player, both on and off the ball. He plays impressive defense and can score the occasional basket. His minutes were limited in the exhibition game against Lake Superior State, but that had nothing to do with health. It was simply a matchup issue. His knee, according to him, is 100 percent healthy.

Buckley: “It was really tough sitting out with that knee injury. I saw a lot of situations where I felt I could help out the team. It was killing me on the sideline because these are like my brothers. I’m with them every day. So it just hurt me knowing I couldn’t be out there to help them.”

Buckley: “I think I bring a lot of experience as well as aggressiveness both on offense and defense. We had a lot of freshmen last year that gained a lot of experience going through so many different situations, so I look at them now like they are ready for whatever.”

#11 Milos Cabarkapa, 7-0, 233, Fr. C

As the tallest player on the Central Michigan roster by a good four inches, Cabarkapa has something to offer that no one else does. But with that size comes a very raw game, one that is going to take patience and much coaching to mold. CMU head coach Keno Davis and his coaching staff clearly has the expertise to provide the 7-footer with the tutelage he needs. Even so, expecting too much too quickly is not really fair. It will be interesting to see how much Cabarkapa is going to play this season. He was the lone player CMU player to not see action in the exhibition game, yet that too had a lot to do with matchups as LSSU’s post players were capable of stepping away from the basket and Cabarkapa is not comfortable doing that just yet. In videos of Cabarkapa on Youtube, he has good touch around the basket. It will just be a matter of fine-tuning his game over the next couple years.

#35 Nick Carlos, 6-7, 191, Fr. G/F

Carlos is not afraid to take any shot and is adept at making them. At his 6-foot-7 frame, he still has plenty of room to add muscle which will allow him to play on the block more in future years. As of now, he is mainly a perimeter shooter. He played only six minutes Oct. 29, but hit on 2-of-3 shots including a 3-pointer. It’s difficult to say right now what kind of role he will have in the rotation, but the talent is there and he gives CMU just one more outside shooting threat with size to contend with.

#15 Chris Fowler, 6-1, 189, So. PG

As hard of a worker you will find, Fowler is the kind of gym rat you want to build a basketball program around. He is routinely the first to be at the gym and the last to leave, while managing to maintain a 3.45 grade-point average in the classroom. His outstanding inaugural season saw him break the Central Michigan record for freshman assists, while averaging 8.1 points per game. He will be looked at to score some more this year and showed he is fully capable in the exhibition, pouring in 25 points including the go-ahead floater in overtime. His free throw shooting was one area he worked extremely hard on during the offseason and the improvements there will only help his scoring average. Distributing is still his forte, however, and he is going to routinely make teammates around him happy as he gets them the ball in a great position to score.

Fowler: “Coach elected me one of the captains of the team last year, which is unprecedented for a freshman. But playing the amount of minutes I did, it’s really good to come back my sophomore year and really embrace that role as a leader. It’s great to be with a lot of the same team as well.”

Fowler: “I worked on my free throw shooting a lot this offseason. I didn’t shoot it well from the free throw line last year. In order to increase my points per game average and to increase our wins, I have to be better from the free throw line because I’m the primary ball handler. I also worked on my lateral and vertical quickness. I worked on my vertical leap. I worked on my conditioning as well so I could not be as tired, make more free throws, take advantage of other people when they’re tired, and be able to play the game that Coach Davis likes us to play.”

#32 Blake Hibbitts, 6-7, 224, So. F

Hibbitts almost looks like a new player this year. What a difference an offseason of weight training will do. While the best part of Hibbitts’ offensive game will continue to remain his perimeter shooting after knocking down 67-of-185 3-pointers (36.2 pct) as a freshman, the added muscle makes him better equipped to handle the rigors of the paint. Whether it be defending a post player or being on the offensive blocks, Hibbitts’ looks inside will increase plenty this season. He struggled in the exhibition game, but don’t look too far into it. Nothing more than single-game struggles it seemed like. There would have to be a much bigger sample size to get overly concerned. Hibbitts is the top returning scorer after putting in 8.8 points per game last year.

Hibbitts: “You learn a lot of things really quickly as a freshman. There is definitely a difference between the intensity and the physical nature, plus the speed of the game at the college level. That year of experience is huge. This year, I’m ready for it and prepared to have a good season. I’m ready to get it started.”

Hibbitts: “I put on about 15 pounds since last year. Hopefully that will help me out a lot bodying people inside and going up against some of the bigger post guys.”

#30 Austin Keel, 6-3, 185, Jr. G

As a pure shooter, Keel has had an up-and-down tenure during his three years at Central Michigan. He is one of only two players on the roster to play for former CMU head coach Ernie Zeigler, so there was a definite transition period for him last season. Keel began last year in the starting lineup and ended up starting 20 of 31 games, averaging 4.6 points per game. His field goal percentage left a lot to be desired as he hit on only 31.8 percent of his looks (50-of-157) but it appears his confidence is back up this season. He is back in the starting lineup and there is a lot to like about him, not only as a shooter but also as an energetic defender and a gifted athlete. If a defensive player inches a little too close to him on the perimeter, he has the ability to take it to the hoop. Look for it to happen more this season.

#12 Josh Kozinski, 6-4, 180, Fr. G

Basically, all the freshmen are mysteries until there is enough game action of them to get a feel for what they are capable of right off the bat. Like any of the other freshmen, it’s tough right now to know what his role is going to be within the team this season. What is certain is that he was recruited by Davis because of his immense shooting talent, which led Kozinski to first team all-state honors as a senior at Edwardsburg High School. He only played three minutes in the exhibition and did not attempt

a shot.

#1 Spencer Krannitz, 6-4, 196, So. G/F

Krannitz had his moments as a freshman, such as at eventual national runner-up Michigan when he pulled down nine rebounds and scored eight points. He was in and out of the rotation all season, going through a lengthy shooting slump at one point. During those struggles, it seemed like Krannitz was simply rushing his shot which makes sense due to his freshman status. He is not a freshman anymore and it’s highly likely he learned from mistakes made a season ago. Overall, he connected on 17-of-66 shots (25.8 percent) but that percentage will almost assuredly go way up. He was a big-time scorer in high school, averaging 30 points per game as a senior at North Muskegon.

#5 Sheldon Lowman, 6-1, 177, Jr. G

As one of the best stories on the CMU roster, Lowman played two years at Mid-Michigan Community College before making the Chippewas as a walk-on last year. After redshirting and providing a very useful practice body last year, Lowman is in line to perhaps see a little bit of playing time this year. He will have to continue working as hard as he has been as there are plenty of teammates who want that time on the floor as well. Lowman is an intelligent and scrappy player who will find himself involved in portions of the game you don’t see in a box score but help a team to wins.

Lowman: “It was a very humbling experience to make the team here. Not everyone can play Division I basketball. I received the opportunity to come here and play. It was a rebuilding stage, so I wanted to be a part of that.”

Lowman: “I’m a team player. I’m here every day with the guys trying to get better and I feel like I was a part of that last year just being a practice player. Only time will tell if I see the court this year, but I just need to keep coming every day and keep getting better.”

#0 Braylon Rayson, 5-9, 178, Fr. G

Rayson is instant energy. He is another player who, despite being young, is not afraid to take a shot. He is very quick and athletic, almost necessary attributes coming at the height he is at. But despite being only 5-9, he does appear to have some muscle on his build which will help him withstand the grind of the season. Getting a lot of minutes behind Chris Fowler might be tough, but it is not out of the question that Davis might employ a lineup where both Fowler and Rayson are on the court. Another big-time high school scorer, Rayson poured in 30.4 per game as a senior at West Mesquite in Dallas and led his team to a school-record 30 wins.

#3 Derrick Richardson Jr., 6-4, 200, So. G

He gets most of his praise as a very strong on-ball and off-ball defender, but Richardson might be a little under the radar as an offensive player. He hit on 41-of-98 shots as a freshman, a very respectable 41.8 clip for a freshman guard. Not out of the question at all that it could improve this year. Richardson will start the season coming off the bench, which arguably could be his best role as he delivers instant energy and strong defense whenever he is inserted into the game. He is one of the most athletic players on the squad and could be poised for a breakout year. He averaged 4.0 points per game as a freshman in 31 contests, starting 11 of those.

#41 Zach Saylor, 6-8, 228, Grad. F

If we are talking about elder statesmen, no one even comes close on the CMU roster to Saylor as he has been around since 2008. Keel is next-closest in tenure and did not arrive on campus until 2011. Saylor even joked about it at Central Michigan Media Day, calling himself “Van Wilder” in reference to the movie starring Ryan Reynolds. To Saylor’s credit, he graduated with a degree in entrepreneurship. As for what Saylor brings on the basketball court, he has good shot-blocking and post defense ability. The defense, plus his leadership, are the main two reasons Davis clearly wanted Saylor back for a sixth year of eligibility which was granted to him in July. When Saylor went down with a knee injury against Bradley last year, there was no replacement for what he brought in terms of interior defense. When he returned late in the season, his health was not all the way there and he played sparingly the rest of the way. Obviously, staying healthy will be the key for him as it has been his entire collegiate career. His offensive game is very limited, usually settling for a left-handed hook shot. When it’s on, it can be an effective weapon but Saylor will be the first to tell you that scoring is not the main reason he is on the floor.

Saylor: “With last year’s injury, it just made me look into the past. I looked at my injury and my time frame, then I just went through all the ways I could still help my team. That doesn’t necessarily have to be on the court. It can be on the bench, in the locker room, at pre-game meal. Just whatever I can to give positive insight to my team, that is how I approached my time while I was out last year.”

Saylor: “The main improvement I wanted to make going into this year was rebounding. Defensive and offensive rebounding. Whatever position I play, I need to rebound the ball. I’ve always worked on my scoring, my post scoring. I feel like that is what my team needs because we are such a great team in the open court. We have a lot of great shooters and we have some capable post scorers, but that’s where I feel like I can help the team the most. Then there is always defense. Walling up, play solid D, and get on to the next play.”

#4 Rayshawn Simmons, 6-4, 182, So. G

Of all the Central Michigan newcomers, Simmons played the most minutes in the exhibition game as he totaled 22 on the floor and even received the start. He also showed his inexperience at times as he was 1-of-4 from the floor and occasionally looked tentative. To his credit, he did can both of his free throw attempts and had three assists to just one turnover. If Davis thought highly enough of him to get a start in the exhibition game over other worthy candidates, it’s clear Simmons has a lot of upside. With a 6-4 frame, he is another player with some room to add muscle over the next year. Simmons played one year at Moberly Area Community College which puts the refinement of his game several steps ahead of the incoming freshmen. He averaged seven points per game at Moberly and hit on 38 percent of his 3-point attempts.

#34 John Simons, 6-8, 228, So. F

Like Hibbitts, Simons put on a considerable amount of weight in muscle to avoid being pushed around inside like he was by MAC players at times last year. He also held his own quite often too, so the added weight will only help matters as he looks at locking down the interior in a stronger manner this year. Simons showed very good all-around ability as a freshman, scoring 7.4 points per game and pulling down a team-best 4.9 rebounds. He hit on 43.6 percent of his field goals and 33.7 percent of his 3-pointers in 2012-13, numbers that should improve as a sophomore. He scored 21 points to go with nine rebounds in the exhibition and looks to be one of the catalysts that make the Chippewas go this season.

Simons: “Experience is the main thing we drew from last year. I came in the first game not knowing what to expect and we had a tough non-conference schedule last year. It really helped us to quicken our learning curve and now we do know what to expect, which we can help to get the younger players through their first season. And (Saylor), he really knows what to expect having been here six years.”

Simons: “I stayed up here all summer and worked out in the weight room. Blake and I knew we needed to do that after last year. We were completely undersized against almost everyone we went up against. It was something we knew we had to do and we worked hard at it.”

#10 Austin Stewart, 6-6 So. G

If Stewart keeps up what he began in the exhibition game, he will get the award for most improved player. The strides he has made over the summer and into the fall are evident in every facet, starting with his confidence. He is attacking the basket and the offensive glass with ferocity in practice and in games. He has solid mid-range and in shooting ability with the ability to develop a deeper shooting stroke in time. Last year, Stewart saw action in 26 games and averaged 3.0 points per game but fell out of the rotation late in the season. Now he has gone from a prominent reserve role in the exhibition to a likely starting spot in the regular season opener against Manchester University. He had 14 points and seven rebounds against Lake Superior State, five of the boards being of the offensive variety. Davis said after the exhibition game that Stewart has the ability to play four positions on the floor, while in talking about the regular season opener he mentioned that Stewart is talented enough on the glass to lead CMU in rebounding this season. It’s evident Stewart will have a very significant role.